Before actually confessing, he asks her, “Is this not better than what we dreamed of in the forest?” He is asking Hester to confirm the righteousness of this act and explains to her: “For thee and Pearl, be it as God shall order . . . Let me now do the will which He hath made plain before my sight.” Although Dimmesdale may still doubt his choice and requires Hester’s strength, in the end, he leaves his fate to God, trusting that His mercy will be more certain in death than Chillingworth’s relentless torment is in life.
Given that he is dying, Dimmesdale asks Hester whether confession is better than fleeing. She has lived for seven long years with the torment of her neighbors and the shame of her scarlet letter. She hurriedly answers him that perhaps the three of them dying together would be preferable, but if Dimmesdale dies alone what will she have? She will have no love, no life other than the loneliness she has already has, and a daughter who will have no father.
Pearl is given the most wonderful gift: a life that is filled with love and happiness. When her father finally publicly acknowledges her, she kisses him and weeps an actual tear. As Hawthorne says, “the spell is broken.” There is hope that Pearl will grow up, be able to interact with other human beings, find love, and live a long and happy life.
Chillingworth loses his victory in two ways. First, he no longer has Dimmesdale to torment, and second, he receives Dimmesdale’s blessing. Even as he is dying, the minister manages to retain his reverence and his kindness by asking God’s forgiveness for Chillingworth. As Hester noted in her husband’s changed appearance earlier, revenge is never a positive motive and generally consumes its possessor.
